Any positive news involving a 2-16 team is welcome around these parts; unfortunately this is not one of those news items. Senior forward Tim Toler, known for his burly non-basketball body and his penchant for shooting 3-point shots in a streaky fashion, was dismissed from the team. Coach Mark Montgomery gave no reason. They never do.
Toler was averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, both team highs. He also shot a team-best 36.1 from three, also attempting/making the most of them. And who knows why he's gone. But we know they lost 90-54 last night at Kent State. That would rankle any senior.
And while it's too bad to see a kid's career end like this, Montgomery is in a position where he needs to purge the negative energy out of the program and make it his. There are four upperclassmen left on the team; Brandon Hayes is in a transfer redshirt year, DeMarcus Grady is a bench-riding guard, Tyler Storm is a senior forward who will probably see a few more minutes, and Tony Nixon is a contributing junior guard. So what's left is youth and more youth. This is why it's going to take at least the 2013-14 season before this team can contend.
So until then ... uh, enjoy!